Data point: Zero fatal shootings in 25 years

[unixronin]

Kennesaw, Georgia, passed an ordinance in 1982 requiring each head of household to "own and maintain" a gun.  In the subsequent 25 years, there have been zero fatal shootings in Kennesaw, and Kennesaw's per-capita overall crime rate is less than half what it was in 1982 — despite Kennesaw's population having grown by a factor of five to one.

Kennesaw's mandatory-gun law was passed (unanimously) in response to the total handgun ban passed by Morton Grove, Illinois.  Morton Grove's crime rate increased by 15.7% following the ban, while the surrounding Cook County's crime rate rose only 3%.

Comments

Re: Have you looked into this yourself, or are you repeating what others have written?

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Yes, they did. But in 1982, Kennesaw's crime rate was way up there -- over 4,300 per 100,000. Before the law, it had one of the higher crime rates in the Atlanta area. After the ban, it's had the lowest.